Tool for plugging openings in boilers



. I 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. H. s. REYNOLDS V TOOL FOR PLUGGING OPENING-S IN BOILERS, 6w.

(No Model.)

No 447,351. Patented Mar. 3, 1891.

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H. s. REYNOLDS.

TOOL FOR PLUGGING OPENINGS IN BOILERS, 8:

Patented Mar. 3, 1891.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY s. REYNOLDS, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,351, dated March 3, 1891. Application filed January 5, 1889. Renewed October 30, 1889. Again renewed February 4, 1891. Serial No. 380,124. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY S. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Tool for Plugging up Openings for Testing Purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In the arts there are employed certain vessels which-must withstand certain internal pressures, not only hydrostatic, but also expansive, and these vessels have to be tested before being sent out of the shop. All of such vessels are provided with sputs or other thimbles to admit of the attachment of tubes or pipes for induction and eduction, and before testing it is customary to insert these sputs or thimbles and then plug them up, so as to make the vessel tight against the testing agent. For example, domestic range-boilers are made of quite heavy plate and have four openings, two on top, one at the side, and one at the bottom, and each of these openings has to be plugged up preliminarily to the testing. Such plugging involves considerable outlay of time and labor and is not always satisfactory or adequate.

The object of my invention is to provide a tool for plugging up such openings for testing purposes, the tool being easilyinserted and as readily withdrawn, and perfectly sealing the openings against possibility of escape of the testing-fluid.

The invention consists of a hole-stopping tool composed of an anchor pivoted in a slotted stem and of greater width than the diameter of the opening to be stopped and adapted to be inserted into the vessel through said openin g endwise, and thereafter be turned up crosswise of said opening to bear against its inner walls, combined with a cam pivoted to the other end of said stem and a movable packed collar interposed between the cam and the anchor, so that the anchor being inside the vessel and bearing on one side of the hole the movement of the cam will force the packed collar against the other and outer side of the hole against the resistance of the anchor, and

thereby effectually stop or seal said hole, all as I will now proceed more particularly to set forth and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tool in condition for insertion in the hole. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the insertion of the tool. Fig. 3

a side elevation showing the tool inserted. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the tool reversed in order to bring the anchor into holding position. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the tool in operative position. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the tool in position for withdrawal.

I will describe myinvention as embodied in a tool forstoppingthe openin gs in arange-boiler. A stem is employed and is slotted at b longitudinally. In one end of this slot is pivoted a V-shaped anchor 0, one limb c of which is adapted to be moved back and forth through said slot 1) under the limitation of a stiff spring cl, attached to the other limb c and engaging notches ee'inthe end of the stem. The stem at is reduced and shouldered at f, and at its other end has pivoted a cam-lever 9. Between this cam-lever and the shouldered portion of the stem is arranged a collar h, having a packing-face 2', the collar and its packing being movable upon the stem by means of the cam-lever g. A represents the head of a range-boiler,and B represents a sput-or thimble applied thereto. If the parts of the tool be arranged in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, then the limb c of the anchor may be inserted through the sput B, and by lengthwise pressure on the stem the anchor will be tripped and its limb a will disappear in the slot 17 and will be held there by the engagement of the spring d with the lower notch 6. Then if the tool be reversed from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 the superior weight of the limb 0 will cause the limbo to descend from the slot 12, a limit of descentbeing obtained by the stop-pin j on the limb 0 coming in contact with the stem. In this position it will be observed that the anchor straddles the sput and the tool cannot escape. Now if the cam-lever be turned up in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, into the position shown in Fig. 6 the packed collar will be forced up against the outer face of the is a plan with all the parts aligned. Fig. dis

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sput and against the resistance of the anchor upon the inside of the sput, and thehole will be thus stopped eflfectually.

To remove the tool, the cam-lever is dropped into the position of Fig. 5 from the position of Fig. 6, so as to release the packed collar, and the tool is then free to be reversed, so as to bring the parts into position of Fig. 7, the anchor again, through the superior weight of the limb c dropping down, and then by an outward longitudinal pull upon the tool the limb c rises until its spring engages the notch e, and thus prevents its further movement, and then by a downward and outward movement the limb 0 may be rotated, as it were, out of the opening in the sput.

It will be observed that in the removal of the tool it the anchor were not stopped by the engagement of the spring with the notch e the said anchor would swing clear round in the stem, and thus cross the sput-opening in the position the reverse of that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and thus prevent the withdrawal of the tool; but by so restricting the movement of the anchor the tool may be easily Withdrawn.

The mere details of construction herein shown are not deemed essential elements of the invention, as they may be varied within the mechanics skill. Practical use of the tool described and shown has demonstrated its entire utility for thepurpose stated. Any mechanical equivalents of the cam-lever may be employedfor example, a screw, handwheel, or lever.

I deem within my invention any device that will apply pressure to a collar or other device carrying packing to be applied to the outer face of the sput or other opening.

What I claim is 1. A tool for stopping holes from the outside, consisting of an anehorof greater width than the diameter of the hole to be stopped and adapted to be passed through the hole-in one position and thereafter to be reversed to straddle the hole on the inside, a movable packing member, and means, such as a camlever, for applying pressure to the said packing member against the resistance of the anchor, and thereby crowd the packing member against the opening and stop it, substantially as set forth.

2. A tool for stopping holes, composed of a furcated anchor, a slotted stem, in one end of which the anchor is pivoted to permit one limb of said anchor to move back and forth through said slot, a detent for the anchor to limit the movement of the said limb through the said slot, a packing member, and a pressure-applying member for said packing member, substantially as set forth.

A tool for stopping holes, composed of a slotted stem, a furcated anchor playing in said stem, one limb of which is provided with a spring-detent co-operating with notches in the end of the stem, a packed member, and a pressure-applying member, substantially as described.

4. A tool for stopping holes, consisting ot'a slotted stem, a f urcated anchor pivoted in one end of said stem, a collar provided with a packing-face arranged near the other end of said stem, and a cam-lever pivoted to said stem in the rear of the collar, substantially as described.

5. A tool for stopping holes, composed of a slotted stem, an anchor pivoted in said slotted stem and having one limbsuperior in Weight to the other and provided with a stop to limit the descent of the said superior limb when it is uppermost, a packing member, and a press tire-applying member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2d day of January, A. D. 1889. HENRY S. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

THORNE S. WALLING, FREDERIC CARRAGAN. 

